Notes on a Scandal

Early on in Richard Eyre's Notes on a Scandal, Barbara Covett (a wonderfully vicious Judi Dench) voices the antics happening in her life as she writes them in her diary. She speaks with a malicious tone yet she's a very vulnerable woman.

Enter Sheba Hart (a gripping Cate Blanchett), a new teacher at the school Barbara works at. Married to an older man and carrying an affair with a student, she seems unfulfilled with with how her life is going. Barbara is captivated by her, more so by that whirlwind personal life Sheba leads.

Both women are completely different from the other. Barbara is reserved and very much in control of her life. Sheba is full of life and finds her life unpredictable at times. This is something that Dench and Blanchett do wonderfully.

It's not just Dench and Blanchett's performances that make Notes on a Scandal what it is. There's also Chris Menges' stunning cinematography and Philip Glass' haunting score. When the actors and the technical aspects of a film blend effortlessly, that's the sign of a good film.

Indeed Notes on a Scandal is a very good film, but its pace is a trifle too fast. Dench and Blanchett deliver essentially the performances of their careers. Films with plots this juicy are always worth a look.

My Rating: ****1/2